Is Your Water Really Good for you?

You value your health. You take great care in avoiding processed, refined, junk food.

But have you thought about the water you are consuming, and if it too could be processed, refined and “junk water”, so to speak?

Drinking quality and adequate water is crucial to our survival, but there is an underlying problem I see over and over in my nutrition practice: mineral deficiencies.  How is this occurring if many of those I work with seem to be drinking more than enough water each day?  I love to boil the facts down to a cellular level.

Since we are made up of trillions of cells, from the view-point of each one, we physiologically know that each cell requires water.  But you may not have been aware that each cell also can’t receive that water without proper minerals in the form of electrolytes.  The relationship between water and electrolytes determines the integrity of the cell. The cell’s volume is composed of water, and the electrolytes promote the potential action across the cell membrane.  Bottom line:  like love and marriage, you can’t have one without the other.

The type of water one drinks sets the stage for the cell to receive the nutrients it so desperately needs. One such water to choose with caution is distilled water, and even some reverse osmosis waters that tend to de-mineralize the water and leave it more in the way of “processed, refined water” if you will.

Processed, refined water or distilled, demineralized water sets the stage for water coming in, and water going right back out.  Without the minerals in the water to help transport it into the cell for perfect cell hydration, the body’s unique elimination system will send it right back out.  Without proper hydration within the cell, and the minerals to go along with it, the energy output of the cell cannot occur and the individual will most likely experience the following:

Daily Fatigue

Headaches

Food cravings

Poor sleep

Dry skin, hair, and nails

Mental sluggishness

Constipation

And the list goes on…

Yes, you may be drinking all the live long day, but with such things as demineralized, deionized, reverse osmosis bottled water without any minerals put back in, you certainly aren’t hydrating.

But tap water isn’t the answer either.  Today’s typical cup from the faucet guarantees a guzzle of chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, pharmaceutical drugs such as birth control pills, pathogens, parasites, and even some speculation about toilet paper residue in tap water. This due to the fact that many places are recycling waste water into tap water. Yum. And while that solidifies that filtering your tap water is a definite must-do, you should know that much of these impurities, such as fluoride and approximately 75,000+ other chemicals will not be removed through conventional filtration.

In addition, in that filtration process, out go the minerals as well.  Just as we won’t maintain health living on junk food, we certainly won’t maintain health on junk water either.   You can liken that to a piece of white bread.  Sterile, none too tasty, and devoid of nutrition.

So what is the answer when it comes quality drinking water that maintains a mineral-rich status and makes for happy, healthy and hydrated cells? Here are my recommendations: 

In the event the do drink distilled water, it’s necessary then to add sea salt, which contains an abundance of trace minerals.  Toss a pinch of sea salt into your mouth before consuming your distilled water, or simple stir a bit in each day.

In the event you drink filtered tap water, it would be a good idea to do the same thing.  And eating a mineral rich meal while sipping warm water (cold water is best outside of meal times) is a good way to ensure cell hydration too.

Consider spring water.  Natural spring water is naturally filtered by the earth, and contains necessary minerals for proper hydration. A great website called findaspring.com will help you locate a spring in your area to draw “wild and FREE water”. For many people, this is a big stretch out of their comfort zone, but consider talking to locals who do it, and chatting with folks online who have made wild spring water a staple.

Read your labels on bottled waters.  Look for ones that have added mineral contents back in and are preferably in glass bottles such as Mountain Valley Spring Water.  Avoid filtered water which states that no minerals have been added back in. Even published scientific articles have stated that we would do well to check on the mineral content of our water whether tap or bottled.  Look for those with 100-200ppm.

One last caution on distilled or demineralized water: When distilled water comes in contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic.  The more distilled or demineralized water one consumes, the more acidic they can become.   Interestingly, this is the water used by soda manufacturer’s and studies have consistently shown that soda drinkers dump huge amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals into their urine. (I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that soda is the very last thing you will want to consume with regard to hydration.)

In conclusion, your body is constantly regenerating and turning over new cells.  But with processed refined food, or processed refined water, chances are you will be turning over some damaged, troubled cells. 55-60% of your body is aqueous, and the water you choose determines the blood you will flow with, the heart that pumps it, the brain you need for every function and second of your life, and the way you will feel in this world.

Choose wisely, drink appropriately, and hydrate often.